Minor Arcana:  The Ten Emanations in the Four Realms

four suits

the staff suit

The first suit of the Tarot Minor Arcana is that of the Staff. The Staff represents the phallic principle and is reflected in the Root Power of the concept of Volition, or Will. This suit also corresponds to elemental fire and the i (Yodh) of the Tetragrammaton, as well as the kabbalistic Realm of Atsiluth (Archetypes). In this deck, the cards of this suit are distinguished by a midnight sky background and a red border.

the graal suit

The Graal suit is the second suit of the Tarot Minor Arcana, and it corresponds to elemental water and the first e (Heh) of the Tetragrammaton, as well as the kabbalistic Realm of Beryah (Creation). The Graal represents the receptacular paradigm, an archetypal feminine concept. The Graal symbol also parallels the womb, thus reflecting the Root Power of the concept of Fecundity. The use of the word ‘fecundity’ here connotes not only the idea of biological fertility (creation of life), but also the nurturing potential (sustenance of life). In this deck, the cards of this suit are distinguished by a morning sky background and a green border.

the blade suit

The third suit of the Minor Arcana of the Tarot is that of the Blade. The Blade reflects the pragmatic application of the phallic energy of Volition in the Staff Suit, translated as Effort. This suit corresponds to elemental air and the u (Waw) of the Tetragrammaton, as well as the kabbalistic Realm of Yetsirah (Formation). In this deck, the cards of this suit are distinguished by a noon sky background and a blue border.

the seal suit

The fourth and final suit of the Minor Arcana of the Tarot is that of the Seal. The Seal reflects the pragmatic application of the energy of Fecundity in the Graal Suit, translated as ‘Matrix’. The word ‘matrix’ is inherently feminine, representing the mother principle in the universe as the unification of multidimensional space-time with the laws which govern and maintain physical existence, as well as its limitations. This suit corresponds to elemental earth and the second e (Heh) of the Tetragrammaton, as well as the kabbalistic Realm of Asiyah (Action). In this deck, the cards of this suit are distinguished by a twilight sky background and an amber border.

1 premier

Each of the four suits possesses one card of this rank, typifying the Root Power of the suit to which the card belongs (a/k/a, the Ace in other Tarot decks). Each Premier is characterised by a particular abstract concept which is also applied to the nine pip cards to determine the character and progression of the entire suit. The Premier of a given suit represents the initial vigour of that suit’s mystical energy, and is sometimes regarded as indicative of the firstborn of a family or the first emission or emergence of something. Although often accorded an oversized pip token in the card imagery of other decks, it is not one of the pip cards, but stands alone in its own classification. In this deck, the four Premiers are each depicted with a single flower: the Premier of the Staff is a rose; that of the Graal, a lotus; that of the Blade, a thistle; that of the Seal, a calla lily.

9 pip cards

Also found in each of the four suits are nine ‘pip’ cards, so named because traditionally (before the modernisation of the Tarot with the advent of the Golden Dawn) these cards were devoid of imagery, but instead displayed only the appropriate number of the pip tokens associated with the suit to denote the value and identity of each card. The nine pip cards (ranks 2 through 10) of a given suit are sequentially numbered according to their distances from the Premier, indicating a downward trend in the level of mystical energy from the Premier to the Ten in the series. It should be noted that for the two masculine suits (Staff and Blade), this downward trend represents a disempowerment in the character of the cards as the progression reaches the Ten; this concept reflects the parallel between the masculine archetype and the active energies associated with these suits. This relationship is reversed in both of the other two suits (the feminine suits of Graal and Seal), in which the progression from Premier to Ten represents the empowerment in the character of the cards as the progression reaches the Ten; this concept reflects the parallel between the feminine archetype and the passive energies associated with these suits.

4 court cards

In the Tarot deck, there are four court cards for each suit, ranked thusly:

the knight

The Knight is the highest ranking of the four court cards, although he himself is not born of royalty. Rather, he is created a Royal Consort by the Queen for his victory over the elemental foe articulated in his title. The Knight’s title always declares his success in battle before listing his accolades, as his ascent to the Royal House is contingent on this proof of his worth. The Knight correlates with the i (Yodh) of the Tetragrammaton, the fixed (kerubic) astrological quadruplicity (b Shor [Taurus], e Aryah [Leo], h Aqrav [Scorpio], k Deli [Aquarius]), the Father within the Holy Family, and the aspect of Will among the elements of the human psyche.

the queen

The Queen is the reigning monarch among the four court cards, but in rank she is inferior to the Knight, since he corresponds to the Paternal character of the family, and she, the Maternal aspect. The Queen is innately regal, and she confers her noblesse upon the entire Royal (Holy) Family. Her regency is sustained by a miracle of the Yisra’eli Exodus from Egypt. The Queen correlates with the first e (Heh) of the Tetragrammaton, the cardinal astrological quadruplicity (a Taleh [Aries], d Sarton [Cancer], g Mozna’im [Libra], j Gedi [Capricorn]), the Mother within the Holy Family, and the aspect of Emotion among the elements of the human psyche.

the prince

The Prince is the son of the Queen and the Knight, and is the Regent Eminent during his mother’s reign. In each suit, the Prince’s title is consistently more significant than that of his father the Knight, as the Knight is created royalty (and even then, only as a consort to the Queen) but neither crowned nor recognised as king. The Prince, however, is the first-born of royal blood and is by right of birth Prince Regent, and inevitably someday king. This is why his title is moreso grandiose than that of his father the Knight, who is himself not of the royal bloodline and who could never rightfully reign as king. The Prince corresponds to the u (Waw) of the Tetragrammaton, the mutable astrological quadruplicity (c Te’omim [Gemini], f Betulah [Virgo], i Qasshat [Sagittarius], l Dagim [Pisces]), the Son within the Holy Family, and the aspect of Intellect among the elements of the human psyche.

the princess

The Princess is the daughter of the Queen and the Knight and sister to the Prince, and she is born to regency over the Root Power of her suit (manifest as the Premier). She is also custodian over the elemental aspect of spirituality, and she corresponds to the second e (Heh) of the Tetragrammaton, the physical elemental affiliation (m Esh [Fire], , Mayim [Water], . Awir [Air], / Adamah [Earth]), the Daughter within the Holy Family, and the aspect of Senses among the elements of the human psyche.